What happens when one crosses the addictive and balanced gameplay of Magic: The Gathering with the free-to-play ease of access of League of Legends? Well, Tridek: Creatures of Galena is setting out to answer that question. Tridek is a Kickstarter project that not only is free-to-play but it also has some great multiplayer gameplay that will keep fans of popular card games entertained for hours of grudge matches. Unfortunately, there are no tactual cards here which is kind of a different feeling than a faceless opponent behind a screen. This is a large problem to address because there really is a big draw to the feel of sitting across from a friend and the physical nature of holding actual cards. As of this closed beta, there is no way to chat during the game which would really go a long way into restoring this feeling. The beta was not without flaws, but fortunately most of them were technical ones that should be easily ironed out come the full release. That said, setting up a game was quick and easy and finding friends was easier than in some console games.

Looking at specifically the gameplay; it feels very familiar, but it also introduces a few new wrinkles that allow for it to feel fresh and new. Most important of these changes is the scoring system that determines how matches are won. In most games each player has a set amount of health that are slowly whittled away by direct attacks. However, in Tridek each creature card has a number 1-6 that determines the amount of points their owner receives when those creatures win a battle or perform a direct attack. Little creatures matter more here, because they generally give more of these Victory Points than large powerful ones. This number is also different from the typical attack/defense points which pack in a few new features of their own. Each creature can be put in two different areas, one for attack and one for resistance. When a creature is in attack mode it’s attacking number is what matters, and vice-versa. This means that each creature basically deals two amounts of damage depending on where they are on the field. All of these small variations really add some more layers of strategy and keep the game balanced. There is also some more changes, such as how creatures are summoned and when they can be, but I’ll direct everyone to their KickStarter page for more information.

Tridek is in desperate need for some funding as there are only 15 days remaining and it is still less than 40% funded. I strongly urge anyone to go a sign up for the beta on their website, and give Tridek an opportunity to bring similar games to the masses.